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We came here to a country that was populated by Arabs and we are building here a Hebrew, a Jewish state; instead of the Arab villages, Jewish villages were established. You even do not know the names of those villages, and I do not blame you because these villages no longer exist. There is not a single Jewish settlement that was not established in the place of a former Arab Village.
Moshe Dayan
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the transformation of land and communities in the establishment of a Jewish state where Arab villages once existed.

Moshe Dayan's quote discusses the historical context of the creation of a Jewish state in a territory that was previously home to Arab villages. It highlights the profound changes that occurred in the landscape of the country, as Jewish settlements replaced these villages, often erasing their existence and memory. This statement reflects complex issues of history, identity, and the consequences of nation-building.

Themes

HistorySettlementConflictIdentityMemory

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on the historical complexities of nation-building in the Middle East.

More from Moshe Dayan

Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you, because these geography books no longer exist; not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahalal arose in the place of Mahalul, Gevat - in the place of Jibta, Sarid - in the place of Haneifs and Kefar Yehoshua - in the place of Tell Shaman. There is no one place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population.
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It is not in our hands to prevent the murder of workers… and families… but it is in our hands to fix a high price for our blood, so high that the Arab community and the Arab military forces will not be willing to pay it.
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We are a generation of settlers, and without the steel helmet and gun barrel, we shall not be able to plant a tree or build a house.
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Our American friends offer us money, arms, and advice. We take the money, we take the arms, and we decline the advice.
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We could not guard every water pipeline from being blown up and every tree from being uprooted. We could not prevent every murder of a worker in an orchard or a family in their beds. But it was in our power to set high price for our blood, a price too high for the Arab community, the Arab army, or the Arab governments to think it worth paying... It was in our power to cause the Arab governments to renounce 'the policy of strength' toward Israel by turning it into a demonstration of weakness.
Moshe DayanRead
We should demand his blood not from the Arabs of Gaza but from ourselves... Let us make our reckoning today.
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